Those pesky permits –
why you plan, not procrastinate

July 12, 2006

By Greg Dineen
Industry Transportation Consultant

I recently wrote an article (March –’06) about “Why you need a permit!” that spurred a lot of interest – just enough, in fact, to tell you the next part of the story – about when you think you need a permit, it’s probably already too late.

You know that almost every job relies on equipment and supplies – if either is late because somebody failed to anticipate the need for a transportation permit, then the job is delayed – all for the cost of a $16 permit.

Through our seminars we express to the city engineers and permit writers the importance of expediting over-dimensional transportation permits. The statement we hear the most is “Why don’t you give yourself more time” or “Why do you wait till the last minute?”

Smart contractors and developers use advance planning documents such as Gant charts, calendars and other scheduling devices to plan for their needs, but, as we explain to the cities and counties, we often are at the mercy of job site conditions and circumstances – equipment breaks down and the scope of the work can change at a moment’s notice because of unknown conditions.

These changing circumstances force the contractor to respond immediately and make decisions that will affect the bottom line of the project. If a piece of equipment breaks down at 2 p.m. the contractor expects to have a replacement by the next morning, if not sooner. At that point, the permit isn’t the issue; it’s the total cost of the delay.

Delay = costs
Through our seminars we express to the locality (city/county) representatives why it is important they have the permit issued immediately and that we don’t always have advance notice. This is the 21st Century – things happen now at the speed of light – or at least on an hourly basis. There are local governments that want 24 and 48 hours notice prior to issuing permit or allowing a move – many times for no reason other than their work flow. Others only work four days per week and some refuse to use faxed permits. Some localities even require the permit to be an “original” and require the permit to be picked up in person, again for no reason other than the public employment guarantees that come with such inefficiencies.
A certain percentage of local governments look at transportation permits as an additional revenue source and/or toll.  California Vehicle Code 35795 (B) has made it very clear that they may not charge anymore than Caltrans, so they do things like require single trip permits for every load, when an annual permit is much more cost-effective. This is a battle we fight on your behalf every single day.

The case for annual permits
Anytime you travel through a locality more than once, it is usually cost-effective to request an annual permit. Some contractors and the larger low-bed companies have annuals in most localities to provide a better service to their customers.

The problem is you just never know when you are going to have a load going through some obscure city or county.

You can’t expect a city to be open everyday of the week, but you should be able to expect permits to be accessible.  We have numerous governments open every other Friday, others who are closed every Friday. Who can remember which one and on which Friday? There are others closed during the Christmas holidays for weeks at a time. As long as you have an annual permit, there isn’t a problem, but for those that are looking to obtain a single trip permit, it becomes a nightmare. 

You can obtain a Caltrans permit electronically in most cases within two hours or less 5-days a week. LA County issues permits virtually anytime 24/7 on-line, but other communities make it virtually impossible to obtain a permit in less than two days – five, sometimes, if it is over a weekend. With the technology available to everyone there is really no excuse for this, other than bureaucratic inertia and the “them against us” mentality within some government agencies.

These delays are only increase the cost of construction so we try to encourage local permitting agencies to view our industry as part of the success of their community, not a piggy bank or an enemy.

One possible solution
The trucking industry in Nevada went to the legislature in 2004-05 session because local governments were making it virtually impossible to operate. And you have to remember that there are really only about a dozen cities of any size in Nevada. The legislature responded with SB 219 (effective 7/1/05), which allows the state’s transportation agency to issue the permits on localities’ behalf from point A to point B as long as any portion of the route is on a state highway.

Nevada’s new permitting law is a supportive example that California should pursue similar legislation. Many times, at our meetings we have cities asking if it is possible to shift the permit process to their local county and/or Caltrans. LA County is a perfect example of this one-stop shopping approach; they issue permits on behalf of 39 of the county’s 88 communities, on-line.

This approach would level the field for all haulers, everyone would have one set of rules, our infrastructure would be better protected and we would have reduced costs, improved safety, all enhanced by uniformity.

Gregory D. Dineen
Industry Transportation Consultant